The Department of

PhD Program Degree Requirements

Twenty-four credits are required of students matriculating in the program without a master's degree; 16 are required beyond the master's. For those with a related master's degree, up to eight units can be transferred. Students are expected to participate in academic activities such as the Statistics Seminar and faculty-organized working groups.

Within the Department, the major requirements for the PhD are:

completion of a program of courses covering core areas of required expertise (see details below)

demonstration of proficiency in teaching

synthesis of a core body of knowledge, evaluated via written examination

demonstration of readiness to undertake original research, via oral presentation and defense of a written dissertation proposal (oral exam)

completion and oral defense of a dissertation that makes an original contribution in the chosen field of study.

The methods for meeting these requirements may differ depending on the individual program of study.